Healing Wounds
by VickiBThompson
Summary: Vicki is going through a difficult time after leaving Northside. There are some things she needs to talk about. Who will help her through it?
1. Chapter 1

Vicki sat outside Mrs. Weems office, trying to distract herself with the magazines on the table beside her. "Kylie Jenner's Holiday Makeup Hacks". Vicki almost gagged. She couldn't believe that just a little over a year ago she idolized people like her. Make-up and fashion were no longer her number one concern in life. It was mind-boggling how much she had changed almost overnight after the rapture had taken place.

Vicki was awakened from her thoughts by Mrs. Weems' door opening. The Sergeant looked at her sternly and waved her in. Vicki winced as she stood from her seat, grabbing her bandage and hobbling into the office.

To Vicki's surprise, a familiar face greeted her. Bruce stood and hugged her as she stared in disbelief.

"Bruce! What are you doing here?" she asked, still in shock.

"Well, Vicki, it seems that someone is going to adopt you. I just wanted to make sure you didn't mind."

"Really? Is it someone from the church?" she asked eagerly.

"Actually, it is. I'm not sure you're going to like him. He's a bit of a disciplinarian. Sort of stodgy," he said.

"Hey, no offense to the delightful Mrs. Weems here, but that sure is sounding like a step up. Who is it?" she asked unable to contain her excitement.

Bruce looked at her humbly and quietly said, "Me."

Vicki gasped and struggled to find the words to say. She hugged Bruce and cried, reeling from the sacrifice Bruce was making for her.

She tried to speak but couldn't. Bruce smiled and said, "Grab your stuff. Let's go home, Vicki."

Vicki could not remember the last time she smiled a genuine smile, but now there was one plastered on her face, and there was nothing anyone could do to get rid of it.


	2. Chapter 2

When Vicki got out of the car, she was bombarded by hugs from Lionel, Ryan, and Shelley. Phoenix jumped on her and nearly knocked her over. She felt a pain shoot up her side from her wound. Ryan grabbed Phoenix and put him on the line in the backyard. Shelley helped Vicki to the house while Lionel and Bruce grabbed Vicki's bags.

Vicki walked into Bruce's house and was in awe at the decorations. A giant banner hung across the door to the kitchen that read, "Welcome Home, Vicki! We Missed You!" Under the banner stood John, Mark, and Judd. She hobbled over to them and gave them all a group hug. When she pulled away, she noticed someone standing in the kitchen. It was Chaya, the Steins' disowned daughter that Vicki had befriended before her most recent trip to Northside.

Vicki gasped and ran to embrace her. She cried as everyone moved into the kitchen area. She looked at the faces of the people she loved most. And even with her physical pain, her heart was no longer hurting. They celebrated Vicki's return that night, and she had never felt happier than she was in that moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Christmas was quickly approaching. Instead of Vicki going back to Nicolae High with her wound still healing, Bruce arranged for her to do virtual school for two weeks after she left Northside. Chaya tended to Vicki's side as often as needed. For the first week, they were afraid an infection was setting in because Vicki spiked a fever, but it went down the next evening, so their worries subsided.

Judd came to visit Vicki every day after school. Every day he would walk into their living room, a mint hot chocolate in hand from Vicki's favorite coffee shop. He would set it down in front of her, and she would smile, showing her gratitude in a way she couldn't verbally express. She couldn't wear regular pants until she went back to the doctor to get her stitches out, so she sat in her PJ's all day, a blanket over her. She was embarrassed for any of the guys, including Bruce, to see her in them.

Most afternoons Chaya was there, so the conversations were kept light and fun. They had not been alone at all, so Judd and Vicki and not had time to have a serious conversation like they used to since she had been back. This afternoon, however, Chaya was out running errands and meeting with women from the church. Judd noticed this and asked if anyone else was there.

Vicki looked him in the eye and quietly said, "No. Just us today." Judd smiled softly. He sat down beside her and hugged her gently, watching her wound. 

"I missed you, Vick." He said with tears welling up in his eyes.

They pulled apart and Vicki looked at him and blushed. She pulled at the fringes on her blanket and responded gently. "I missed you too. I don't think we have said that since I have been back."

Judd nodded. "I wanted to wait until we were alone." There was an awkward silence. Judd stood and took her hot chocolate to the kitchen. He found the coffee mug he had bought her for her birthday. It was her favorite color, teal, and said "Start each day with a grateful heart." And Vicki did that.

Judd smiled at the memory of that birthday. Lionel and Ryan had finished eating the tacos they made for Vicki's birthday dinner and were in the den playing video games. Judd and Vicki were laughing about some lame joke he had made earlier in the day that Vicki was teasing him for.

Judd stood and began to clear the table. Vicki stood to help, but Judd put his hand on her arm to stop her. "No, birthday girls don't do the dishes. They open presents." He smiled mischievously.

Vicki raised her eyebrows as Judd went to the closet in the hall to pull out a colorful bag with tissue paper sticking out of the top. "Judd, you didn't have to do this."

"I know, but I wanted to." There was an awkward pause. "Well…go on. Open it!"

Vicki looked at him and smiled, then pulled the tissue paper out of the bag, folding it neatly and setting it on the table. She pulled out an object covered in wrapping paper, and unwrapped it, gasping as she saw the gift.

"I thought you would like your own. Not that I mind you using mine, but I figured you were tired of using Star Wars coffee cups. And this reminded me of you when I saw it. You always make me remember to be grateful. Your heart is so pure. Don't ever change that." Judd paused and cleared his throat. "That's not all." He pulled a little box out of his pocket and handed it to her. She opened the box and covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. She pulled the necklace out of the box and gaped at it. At the end of a silver chain was a delicate arrow that read, "I will follow You".

Vicki blushed and looked up from her gift. She took Judd's hand and whispered, "Thank you." Judd squeezed her hand and took the necklace from her. He moved behind her to put it around her neck, and she moved her fiery red hair out of the way so he could clasp the necklace. She let go of her hair, and her fiery locks flowed down her back. She turned to look up at him and stood. They locked eyes and moved closer to each other. The telephone rang and interrupted them.


	4. Chapter 4

The telephone snapped Judd out of his flashback at Bruce's house. He answered the phone and talked to Bruce for a minute. Bruce said he was not going to make it home in time for dinner with Vicki since he was slammed at the church. He wouldn't be home until after midnight. Judd said he would relay the message.

He hung up the phone and moved back to the counter. He poured her hot chocolate into the mug and pulled the marshmallows out of the pantry. Vicki liked a little hot chocolate with her marshmallows. He poured himself a cup of black coffee and went back into the living room.

"Who was on the phone?" as he handed her the mug.

"Oh, it was Bruce. He said he's slammed at the church, so he won't be here for dinner."

Vicki looked up at him. Chaya wasn't going to be home for dinner either that night. Vicki looked scared.

"Vick, what's wrong?" Judd asked.

"Uh, it's nothing." She said hesitantly.

"Vick, come on, you can talk to me. You know that."

Vicki paused. She took a deep breath. "I haven't been alone since I got back from Northside. I'm scared of being alone." She looked down at her hot chocolate and waved her hand, and said, "But don't worry about it, it's my problem."

Judd stood up and moved toward the phone. He called the closest pizza place and ordered two pizzas for Lionel, Ryan, Mark and John at his house. He called to let them know that it was on its way and that he would not be home for dinner.

Judd went into the kitchen and grabbed a roll of hamburger that was thawing in the fridge. He started pulling ingredients out of the cabinets and pantry, banging pots and pans around.

Vicki limped into the kitchen. "Judd, what are you doing?"

"I'm making dinner, what does it look like?"

"Judd, you don't have to do this. I will be fine."

Judd dropped the pan on the counter and walked towards Vicki. He put his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I don't want you to be alone." He paused, looked down and blushed. "Plus, it would be nice to have an evening for the two of us to just talk and hang out."

Vicki smiled as Judd went back to work. She set the table as best she could. Judd had to help her reach the plates since she couldn't raise her arms above her head for fear of ripping her stitches.

She went back into the living room to rest while Judd finished up. She walked around the couch and looked out the window. It was already dark, even though it was only 5:30. She turned off the outside lights and flipped the switch to turn on the Christmas lights. Then she stepped on the button to light up the Christmas tree. Bruce had bought all new ornaments that year since most of the ornaments he had his children had made. It was too painful for him to pull them out. She went to the tree and looked at the ornament she had picked out: a beautiful cross with gems on it. She heard Judd come up behind her and look at it.

"You've got good taste." He said amused.

"Oh, shut up. Is the food ready?"

Judd bowed a gestured toward the kitchen. "After you, madam." Vicki giggled and went to sit at the table.

Judd had made spaghetti and meat balls with a side salad. It was his mom's recipe, and she loved it. He had made it when the day they returned from the airport after the rapture.

"Yes!" She said, raising her fist in the air, wincing from the pain she felt in her side. Judd touched her arm and asked, "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm starving. Let's eat!"

Judd pulled her chair out for her and helped her sit down. They prayed over their food and began eating. They ate and talked and ate some more. When they were finished, Vicki was stuffed. She sat back and rubbed her stomach.

"Wow, I think that is the most I have eaten since I was sent to Northside." Vicki said. "My complements to the chef."

Judd laughed and took a bow. "Thank you, thank you." He stood to clear the table and ran some warm water in the sink to let the dishes soak. "I'll let this sit for a while. Let's go back in here," he said as he helped her steady herself.

They sat on the couch and sat in silence for a while, taking in the breathtaking sight of the Christmas lights. This was the first Christmas they had felt like celebrating since the rapture had happened. After a while, Vicki broke the silence.

"Judd…" her voice trailed off.

Judd scooted closer to her and looked at her with concern. "What is it Vick?"

She looked up at him and looked back down. "I haven't told anyone this. I don't want anyone to worry. But I need to talk to someone." She took a breath. "Northside was awful. Drugs, violence, Enigma Babylon…Solitary made me almost go insane. And, of course, there's this…" She looked at her side. "I have nightmares. I can't sleep because I'm afraid if I do, I will wake up and this will all be a dream. My side hurts constantly. I have panic attacks when it gets dark and I'm alone in my room. I have to sleep with a light on…." She said as tears streamed down her face.

"Vick, why didn't you say something? I could have helped you. Bruce, Chaya…all of us," as he put his arm around her, trying to comfort her.

She put her head on his shoulder and wept, finally relieved that she had told someone about her fears. She sobbed as he held her, putting his hand on her head and holding her tight. He didn't say a word. He just held her as she told him everything. After a few minutes, she stopped talking and just cried. And cried and cried. A few more minutes went by and she was still crying pretty hard. Judd pulled away and grabbed a box of tissues from the coffee table.

"Vick, you need to take a deep breath. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep crying this hard."

But she couldn't stop crying. She was reliving the nightmares over and over, not just of Northside, but from her childhood. Things that happened that no one else knew about. She pulled back and looked at Judd.

"I need to tell you something, but you have to promise you won't look at me any differently," she said between shallow breaths. "Because I can't keep it to myself anymore, or it's going to make me go insane."

"Vick, nothing you could ever do or tell me would make me see you any differently than I already do," he said tenderly as he wiped tears from her cheeks.

She took a deep breath and looked away from him. She stood and looked out the window. Snow was starting to fall hard, and the wind was starting to blow. _Kind of like my life,_ she thought.

He came up behind her and turned her towards him. "Vick tell me. You can trust me."

She hugged him and put her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her safe from whatever was traumatizing her. She took a deep breath and whispered, "When I was nine, my mom's brother used to come over and visit. One time, he was babysitting us, so my parents could go get slammed. My brother was at a friend's and Jeanni was down for a nap. As soon as my parents left he took me in my parents' bedroom. I thought we were going to play a board game…" her voice trailed off. She looked Judd in the eyes, filled with rage behind the tears that were forming. Her voice was barely audible. "He molested me. That was only the first time. It happened three more times before he moved away." She buried her head in Judd's chest and sobbed again.

Judd pulled away from her and looked her in the eye. "Vick, I can't believe you have kept that to yourself all these years."

"Well, I didn't exactly trust anyone to do anything about it. But ever since I got sent to solitary in Northside, I began relieving it again. I figured if I could tell someone to help me through it, maybe I could stop the dreams and get some sleep," she said as she wiped her tears and blew her nose into a Kleenex. "Maybe I could stop reliving it every night as I lay down, afraid someone is going to…"

Suddenly, Vicki didn't feel so good. She grabbed her stomach and ran to the bathroom.


	5. Chapter 5

A few seconds later, Judd heard her throw up. He ran to the bathroom and found one of her hair ties in the drawer. She was lying on the floor with her head propped up on the toilet. He helped her sit up and he bent down to pull her hair back. He French braided her hair, something his mom had made him learn how to do when she had broken her arm a few years ago.

And he held her there on the bathroom floor for the next half hour, helping her sit up when she was about to get sick. When she was feeling better, they went to sit on the couch. Vicki laid down on the couch with her head on a pillow right next to Judd.

He went back to the bathroom to get a wet rag to put on her head. He brought it to her and placed it gently on her forehead. She looked up at him with a look of thanks. He sat down beside her and stroked her hair while softly singing her favorite worship song to help keep her calm.

 _And I believe all that You start You complete_ _  
_ _From glory to glory, glory to glory_ _  
_ _And I believe You never stop taking me_ _  
_ _From glory to glory, glory to glory,_ __

 _All I know is this_ _  
_ _There's nothing that You miss_ _  
_ _If it's not beautiful yet_ _  
_ _It's gonna be_ _  
_ _There's no fear or fight_ _  
_ _That takes You by surprise, no_ _  
_ _If it's not beautiful yet_ _  
_ _It's gonna be_

He leaned down and whispered in her ear when he finished that verse. "Vick, you don't have to worry about being made beautiful…You already are. Inside and out. Every last inch of your soul is stunning. I know that what he did made you feel worthless, but you're not. You amaze me with your strength and wisdom every day. You are so brave." Judd paused, wondering if he could continue. "I…I really like you Vicki."

She looked up at him, in total shock. "Really?" she whispered.

"Yes." He looked deep into her eyes, then looked away. "I'm sorry, I know now isn't a good time."

"No," Vicki said. "It's okay. Go ahead."

Judd looked at her again. "Have you ever thought that we could be…more than just friends?" he asked hesitantly.

Vicki strained to sit up and turned toward him on the couch. "I have thought about it for a while."

Judd's eyes grew. "Really? You mean it?" he said in disbelief.

Vicki giggled at his expression. "Yes. Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

Judd shrugged and blushed, scratching his head and standing "Well, I don't know. Um…so do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"What? A movie? What just happened?" she said confused.

"Uh well, I don't really know where to go from here in the conversation, so I was, uh just trying to transition the focus to something else." He said very nervously, standing there looking at her.

Vicki giggled. She held out her hand and he took it and sat back down. She cuddled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. He was tense for a minute. She had put her head on his shoulder before, at times when he was comforting her in her grief or distress, but this was different. She liked him. And he knew it. She grabbed his hand and said, "Judd, relax. It's okay," very gently to him. He felt his hand tingle when she held it, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

"Okay, so where do we go from here?" he said slowly.

"I like you, Judd. I really like you. I have prayed about it a lot and I want to be more than friends. What do you think?"

Judd smiled and laughed a nervous laugh. He couldn't believe she had said that! His stomach was all in knots. "Uh, wow. That was, um, direct." he said, stammering over his words. "Vick, I really like you too. I, um, I think it may be more than that. I don't want to scare you, but I want to be honest." He waited for her to respond.

When Vicki didn't respond he got really nervous. His hand began to tremble. She put both of her hands over his to calm him and sat up. She turned his head towards her and put her hand on his cheek. "What is more than like?" she gently asked.

"Um, well I don't want to say love, because that's crazy, um we haven't even been more than friends, but maybe, I don't know… 'in care'?" he said.

Vicki laughed. "In care, huh?" She looked deep into his eyes, her hand still on his cheek. "I like that."

Judd's expression was a mixture of relief and joy. He took her hand from him cheek and kissed it gently. She snuggled back up to him on the couch and let him play with her hair until she drifted off to sleep. And she had a wonderful, beautiful dream.


	6. Chapter 6

When she woke up an hour later, she looked around in a daze. She was on the couch in the living room. The Christmas tree was still on and no one was in there with her. She started panicking, thinking she was alone. 

"Hello?!" she cried, terrified she would not hear an answer. Judd came through the door from the kitchen and saw her terrified look. He ran to her and held her as her breathing was shallow.

"Shh, it's okay Vick. I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I was washing the dishes. I had just finished and put on a pot of coffee when I heard you." He said.

Vicki took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Listen, Bruce called while you were out. He said the snow was starting to get bad and he was on his way home. He should be here any minute."

About that time, they heard a car door shut. A minute later, Bruce walked through the front door. He walked in and took off his coat, hat, and gloves.

"It is freezing out there! The roads are a mess. I slid off the road several times. Chaya was close to Loretta's so she went there. They said with the plummeting temperatures, the roads will turn to ice soon."

"Oh, I should probably get going to make sure I get home okay."

"Um, Judd, I would feel more comfortable if you stayed here tonight. It's really rough out there."

Judd agreed and called his house to make sure they were okay and to tell them he was staying.


	7. Chapter 7

While Bruce grabbed a quick shower, Judd talked to Vicki in the kitchen.

"Do you think I should have talked to Bruce about all this first? You know, before I said anything to you? Maybe, ask his permission?"

Vicki paused. "I didn't think about that. I mean, I guess it's a respect thing. He is my father, after all. How about I let you talk to him while I head to bed. You can fill me in tomorrow morning."

"Okay, sounds good. I hope it goes well," he said, a little antsy.

"I'm sure it will be fine. But I am his only child now, so be prepared." Vicki smiled. She held his hand and gave it a squeeze. "See you in the morning, Judd."

"Goodnight, Vick." She let go of his hand and headed towards the staircase.

Judd poured a cup of coffee for him and Bruce to drink while they talked. It made him more comfortable to have something in his hands to help keep him steady.

Judd was putting cream and sugar in Bruce's cup of coffee when he came down the stairs. He turned and handed the cup to him as he sat down at the table. Judd sat next to him, shaking again. Bruce took a sip of coffee. "Ahh, that hits the spot." He looked at Judd. "So, did you two have a nice evening?" raising his eyebrows and taking another sip of coffee.

"Well, it, uh, was eventful to say the least." He gave Bruce the rundown of the first part of the evening. How Vicki was scared to be alone, he made dinner, and they had nice conversations. He paused before continuing. "After dinner, we had a more serious talk. I won't get into the details. She confided in me about some personal things, and she had a mental breakdown. She cried for a long time, and eventually made herself sick."

"What? Is she okay?" Bruce asked concerned.

"Yes, she is fine. Don't worry, I took care of her." Judd took a deep breath. "I will let her fill you in on those details when she is ready. And when she does, she may need some help. It's not pretty what she has been through." Judd said looking at his coffee.

Bruce fell silent. He had no idea she was struggling with anything. She always put up a front when around anyone. She always seemed so joyous. He knew that something was different about her when she returned, but he figured that it was just that she had been made stronger by her circumstances.

"Thank you for telling me. Don't worry. I will let her come to me." Bruce said somberly.

Judd nodded. He glanced up at Bruce as he sipped his coffee. He cleared his throat.

"Um, Bruce, there's actually something else I need to talk to you about…" Bruce looked at him, listening intently. "Um, its, uh…It's about me and Vicki."


End file.
